The East Lycoming School District water mitigation project is nearing completion.

Board members were briefed this week on this important infrastructure update by Dr. Mark Stamm, superintendent of schools.

The power line from to the Little League fields and soccer stadium was finally relocated and properly encased. There are several cisterns that need to be replaced behind the high school.

Final grading and seeding are expected to be completed by Friday.

Bryan McCaffery, director of buildings and grounds, briefed the board on a proposed paving of a portion of Cemetery Street, the main road in front of the high school complex, in the spring by the borough of Hughesville. More details are forthcoming on this proposed project.

Policy review

Under a board policies discussion, board member Scott Ritter expressed opposition to the full proposal from Stamm’s superintendent report.

“Assuming the state budget is passed, next month I will present to the board a proposal from Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) to review and revise the ELSD Policy manual. About 80% of district policies have not been updated since 2010 when PSBA last completed this assessment,” Stamm said.

“The work will involve PSBA reviewing each policy against current district guidelines to PSBA model policies and making policy by policy recommendations. Each group of policies will be brought to the board for first and second reading. I anticipate the entire project will take about 18 months to complete”

Ritter asked if this was just a review of the proposal or a vote on the proposal at the next board meeting in November.

Stamm responded back a vote was what he anticipated in his report.

Ritter then questioned the timing of the proposal only one month before a new board would be seated in December with several members not returning and one new member (Victoria Harrington) voting for the first time on such an impactful decision.

Ritter also raised an additional concern on the timing of next month, because this was last completed 15 years ago in 2010.

He questioned the urgency next month versus waiting until December or January when the newly elected board voices could be part of the vote and discussion.

“I didn’t think it was fair or honorable for non-returning board members to cast a final vote on this proposal without at a minimum, requiring a second vote for final passage with several new members seated in December,” he said.

Lastly, Ritter questioned the decision to involve PSBA in such an intrusive way in crafting ELSD policies.

“I stated my concern on allowing PSBA way too much control over crafting ELSD policies and said this power should instead stay locally with the ELSD board. I proposed creating a new Board Policy Committee with input from school administration, the board and the district solicitor in shaping ELSD policy locally vs PSBA (State) to reflect the views of the board & community.”

Stamm reiterated this process is anticipated to take 18 months and go through a first and second reading by the board.

Field Trips

There were numerous field trips on the agenda for approval this month representing a broad cross section of student groups including special education and performing arts. As a reminder, two years ago, the board approved for HHS Chorus to perform at Disney World. This trip involves 28 students from Nov. 30 through Dec. 6.

Clubs

Annually, the district approves a list of extra and co-curricular clubs for students as required by Policy 122 Extra Curricular Activities. This list includes both academic orientated and general interest clubs that enable students to pursue their own passions beyond the academic programs like fly fishing, Christian, ski, Spartan Sips, and many more. It offers a lot of opportunities for students to connect and grow, Stamm observed.

Personnel

Although not recommended for approval, but to keep the board informed, the district administration is searching for qualified applicants to fill two full-time maintenance positions. Although Indeed did generate over 70 applications, the district was unable to secure anyone for recommendation. It is currently advertising on Indeed again, with lessons learned, and in traditional locations. Interviews are occurring and Stamm said he hoped to be able to fill these positions soon.